Originally Posted by
shaithis
Why? Again the benchmarks show that GPU is the main factor. A Core2 will last most people another 2-3 years based on those benchmarks....probably even longer.
Now, if your gaming at 1920x1200 or 2560x1600, then a Core2 may start to show its age in 18-24 months time with the-latest-at-the-time dual-or-triple-GPU upgrade, possibly.
The big joke here anyway is that you'll spend more money buying i7 now, then you would buying core2 now and switching to i7 in 12-18 months time once motherboards, CPUs and DDR3 RAM have bottomed-out in price....and you won't be stuck with a first gen motherboard and looking at new i7 CPUs that don't work in your first-gen board.
Anyway, you seem determined to find this all out the hard way, so good luck :)